Welcome to the Plains Region (PLN) Wazeopedia. Below you will find information related to editing for Waze in the Plains Region, which includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. All editors in the region are required to have a non usa_username, have their private messaging turned on, and turn live users on in the layers menu. Do not edit in Invisible mode if you are a rank 3 or below.
Getting Started as an editor in the Plains Region
Want to help out with the map in the Plains Region? Add missing streets, solve Update Requests (URs), improve place details, etc - ask questions to anyone listed at the bottom of the page, and seek out advice when/where needed. Before you get started, though, please review the rest of this page and ensure you follow the rules for editing.
Key Wazeopedia Links
If you haven't already done so, please be sure to review the following links before and as you begin editing (we recommend bookmarking them!):
- This Plains Region page you are currently on
- The Waze map editor welcome page
- The map editing quick start page
- Edits to avoid
- The Waze glossary
- The WME interface and controls
- How to create a PermaLink (you will need to know how to do this when working with others)
There are additional links at the bottom of this page that will be of interest once you are editing on an on-going basis.
Editing Rank and Permissions
As you advance in rank, new editing abilities will become available and you will have permission to do new things. Editors at all ranks are encouraged to provide level unlocks in their editing area and to informally mentor other local editors. The following table lists editing permissions added at each rank divided into permissions inherent to the WME editor and permissions based on our Plains Region-specific lock levels.
| Rank | WME Permissions | PLN Locks: Roads | PLN Locks: Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Places, PLAs, HNs, RPPs, Start MTEs | Local Streets, Parking Lot Roads, Private Roads | |
| 2 | Force HNs, Link Places to Google | Primary Streets, Railroads | |
| 3 | Set Road Closures, Lock Harmonized Places/Area | Minor Highways, Major Highways | Most Places, Gas Stations, Government Buildings, Schools, City & Local Parks, RPPs |
| 4 | Set Routing Preference | Freeways, Ramps | Hospitals/Urgent Care, Police/Fire, National & State Parks, Military |
| 5 | Tollways, Ferries | ||
| 6 |
While rank is marginally tied to the number of edits you have, that is by no means the only factor taken into consideration. After the initial advancement from R1 to R2, additional advancement will occur at the discretion of the regional leadership team. Questions about your rank and advancement can be directed to your state managers, found in the table below.
More information about your editor rank and points in the Waze app (and the difference between the two) can be found here.
Finding Your Waze Profile Information
To find your editor profile, which lists your rank, points, number of edits, recent edits, and shows your editing area, go to https://www.waze.com/user/editor/<your user name>.
To find your overall Waze dashboard, which shows your edit count, but also your total points, miles driven, etc., go to http://www.waze.com/dashboard and it will redirect you. You can learn more about the dashboard here.
To learn more about how you earn points in both the client application and as an editor, go to Your Rank and Points.
Working in the Waze Map Editor
Language Settings
When first working in the Waze Map Editor (WME), make sure you are set to use US English. To do so, click on the Gear icon on the tab on the left side, the choose US English from the dropdown menu. This will ensure you are working with the correct set of category names for our country.
Working on User Reports (URs)
Update Requests in Waze Map Editor
Response Timeline
(NOTE: all day values are relative to the date the FIRST editor response is sent to the reporter)
Day 1
We typically want to answer a report within 24 hours, but this should be at least attempted within the first 3 days.
The first thing to do is to look at the UR and try to figure out the issue that happened. It is imperative to look at everything before ultimately deciding that you don't get it. If you click on More Information you may be able to look at the Waze provided route and what the user took to determine this issues. Check the area roads for any restrictions, incorrect elevation, incorrect street names, bad geometry, etc.
If you can figure out the issue, Fix it or submit an Unlock Request in Discord [INSERT LINK]!
Example:
"Volunteer editor here… thanks for your report! I made a few edits here to improve future routing. It should be available in the app within about a week. Feel free to report any other issue you find along your travels. Thanks!"
If you don't have enough information to solve the issue, ask the reporter for more information.
Example
"Volunteer editor here - unfortunately Waze did not give us much information about your issue. Could you tell us more about what went wrong? What was your final destination? Thanks!"
Day 4
If the reporter has not responded 4 days after the initial comment, post a reminder like the one below. Sometimes a reporter simply misses the initial comment, and a reminder might come at just the right time to trigger a response with more detail.
Example
Just checking in - if there's still an issue we should look into, please reply using the app (Waze can't handle email responses). Otherwise, we'll assume all is well and close this out in a few days. Thanks!
Day 7
If there is not enough information to solve the issue, and the reporter has not responded within 7 days of initial editor comment (or day 3 after a reminder message), a message should be sent telling the reported that we were unable to fix the problem. The Update Request then needs to be closed as Not Identified.
Example
"Volunteers received no response and can’t find anything wrong with the current map. Please feel free to submit a new report if you encounter any issues in the future. Thanks!
Stale URs / Rural Areas
Sometimes URs turn up in areas of SunnyRaynbows with few active editors. In these cases, the 1/4/7 rule still applies, with "Day 1" being the first day an editor requests more info from the user. Messages like the example below have often succeeded in getting information from 6+ month-old reports.
Example:
Volunteer editor here - thanks for your patience as we've been extra busy with reports lately. Waze did not send much information about your issue. Can you by any chance remember what went wrong out here near [general location]? What was your final destination? Thanks!
Shared Ownership
All editors are considered to have equal ownership of and responsibility for all URs within their editing area. All editors, regardless if they have worked the UR previously, may send either of the responses described above, provided they adhere to the minimum time spacing guidance between responses and make their best effort to work the UR correctly. All editors are explicitly encouraged to attempt to resolve URs at any point during their lifecycle, however if someone else appears to be actively working it, you are encouraged to reach out to them to avoid duplicating effort.
You are encouraged to reach out to higher-level editors for mentoring when working on advanced URs.
Notes
The script URComments streamlines the process of responding to a UR and provides comments based on the UR type and can be edited prior to sending to fit your needs. Highly recommend you install this script if you will be responding to URs.